The application deadline for the Specialist in School Psychology (SSP) program is December 1.

The School Psychology faculty reviews applications and notifies applicants in mid to late-January whether they have been invited to our interview day, which usually occurs in early to mid-February. Please note that interview day is by invitation only. Offers of admission will be made shortly after interview day.

When applying to the School Psychology Graduate Program you must complete the following:

1. Submit a completed graduate school application and pay the application fee. Applications can be found on the Graduate School website .
2. Submit three letters of recommendation via the online application. If you opt to have your letter writers submit recommendations electronically, you will provide an email address for each on your application and they will, in turn, receive an email with download instructions. Your letter writers may instead choose to send hard copies directly to the department. If that is the case, each letter should arrive in a sealed envelope with the recommender's signature across the seal. If your recommendation writers choose to use the online system please do not also send duplicate hard copies.

3. Upload a personal statement to the online application. If you opt to include your personal statement via the online system please do not send a duplicate hard copy. Please limit this personal statement to 2 pages, single-spaced. When writing your personal statement, we encourage you to consider including the following topics:

   1. Any relevant applied and/or clinical experiences working with children, schools, and/or families.
   2. Your career goals and how a specialist degree in school psychology at the University of Montana may prepare you for this career.
   3. Experiences working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations, and/or any activities you have engaged in related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
4. Upload your Curriculum Vitae to the online application. If you opt to include your CV via the online system please do not send a duplicate hard copy.
5. Provide transcripts from ALL undergraduate and graduate schools you have attended. Transcripts can be uploaded to the online application. Institutions can send electronic or hard copies directly to the Psychology Department. Applicants may also email electronic transcripts. For further information or e-script questions please contact the PsychologyDepartment@umontana.edu .
6. Applicants may also upload a writing sample to their application, but it is not required.

Western Regional Graduate Program

The Specialist in School Psychology program is an approved Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP). This means that a select number of students from any state in the Western Region of the United States can get their SSP degree from the University of Montana while paying 150% of the in-state tuition rate, which results in a significant reduction in fees for eligible out-of-state students. If you are applying from a WRGP state, please include a note about your interest in the WRGP tuition rate in your application. Please note that only a limited number of students will be eligible for this tuition reduction per year. You can also find additional information at the following website: Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP).

Professional Licensure Disclosure 

In compliance with the U.S. Department of Education regulations and because we are located in an institution participating in the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), the Specialist in School Psychology Program, which is a program leading to professional licensure, is required to disclose specific information regarding eligibility for licensure. First, we are required to generally disclose whether completion of our program meets state credentialing or licensing requirements in any U.S. state, district, or territory. In addition, we are also required to make individual disclosures to current students if our curriculum does not meet educational requirements for the state, territory, or district in which they are located or to which they relocate. Finally, we are required to notify prospective students prior to enrollment in our program if we have determined that our curriculum does not meet educational requirements for licensure in the state, territory, or district in which they are located, or if we have not made a determination whether our program meets educational requirements. Please refer to the Provost's Office webpage for additional information.

Mailing Address:

University of Montana
Department of Psychology
Attn: Admissions
Skaggs 143
Missoula, MT 59812

If you have further questions please e-mail us, or call 406-243-4522